Smoking has been recorded in many cultures going back thousands of years. There are many ways to practice smoking, but one of the most common is the cigarette (and its equivalents utilizing non-tobacco smoking materials). Cigarettes are generally cylindrical in shape and comprise a tube of thin paper or similar material surrounding a column of smoking materials such as tobacco, other plants, etc. Many cigarettes are mass-produced each year creating pre-packaged “packs” of cigarettes. However, many people also choose to roll their own cigarettes. In between these two extremes is an industry of custom-rolled cigarettes.
Traditionally, smoking establishments would sell a pre-measured amount of plant/smoking materials to a customer who would then either smoke it using a pipe or other smoking apparatus, or roll it into a cigarette. In more recent times, smoking establishments will still sell a pre-measured amount of materials to a customer, but will then roll it into one or more cigarettes for the customer. Alternatively, the establishment can sell pre-rolled cigarettes, each containing a pre-measured amount of smoking materials. In either of these two cases, a need exists for an easy, quick, and inexpensive means to produce a small batch of pre-rolled cigarettes each containing a pre-measured amount of smoking materials.
Pre-formed conical tubes of rolling paper (i.e., pre-rolled smoking papers) having a slight funnel shape so that they may be nested within one another are available to assist in meeting the above need. Such tubes usually contain a filter or other “end-cap” type device that partially seals the smoking-end (i.e., the smaller-diameter end of the tube) and allows a person to insert smoking materials in the fill-end (i.e., the larger-diameter end of the tube). Once filled, the fill-end can be sealed or otherwise made ready to smoke. Filling such tubes individually is an exacting, time-consuming process. Additionally, because of the relatively small diameter of the fill-end, it can be difficult to ensure that all of the pre-measured smoking materials make it into the tube instead of falling to the sides.
What is needed is a device that holds and supports the pre-rolled smoking paper in an upright configuration and assists the user in funneling the smoking materials into the pre-rolled smoking paper. Such a device should be modular so multiple devices can be used concurrently to further enhance the efficiency of the filling process. The device must provide for individual loading so that a precise amount of smoking materials is ensured in each pre-rolled smoking paper. Additionally, one or more base units should provide for easy removal of the pre-rolled smoking paper(s) from the device once filled.